Greek Salads
Pantzarosalata Recipe (Greek Beetroot Salad with Garlic Yogurt)
Παντζαροσαλάτα pahn-dzah-roh-sah-LAH-tah · Pantzarosalata
Photo: Beetroot salad (5938226398).jpg by ponafotkas from Kiev, Ukraine, CC BY-SA 2.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Pantzarosalata is a Greek salad of roasted or boiled beetroot, often served alongside its own cooked greens, dressed with olive oil and vinegar and finished with a generous spoon of garlicky yogurt or skordalia. It is a classic winter meze and side dish.
Pantzarosalata is one of the more visually striking dishes on any Greek meze table, the deep magenta of cooked beetroot set against a bright white spoonful of garlicky yogurt or skordalia, and it is exactly as good as it looks: sweet, earthy beetroot cut with a real hit of raw garlic and sharp vinegar.
Many households cook the beetroot with its greens still attached, using the leaves themselves as a second, distinct element of the dish, wilted and dressed separately from the roots, which is a good way to avoid wasting a genuinely edible and good part of the vegetable that often gets discarded.
It is entirely make-ahead friendly, and in fact benefits from a little time in the fridge for the beetroot to properly take on the vinegar in its dressing, making it a practical dish to prepare well before guests arrive.
Key preparation steps
- Roast or boil whole beetroot until tender, and cook the greens separately if using.
- Peel and slice the beetroot once cool enough to handle.
- Dress with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
- Serve with a generous spoon of garlic yogurt or skordalia.
Cooking the beetroot
Roasting whole, unpeeled beetroot wrapped in foil in a hot oven for about an hour concentrates their sweetness far better than boiling, though boiling whole and unpeeled in salted water until a knife slides in easily is the faster, equally traditional alternative. Either way, cook them whole and unpeeled, since cutting before cooking lets the colour and nutrients bleed out into the water or steam.
If the beetroot came with its greens attached, wash them well and boil or steam separately for a few minutes until just wilted, then dress lightly with oil and lemon as a separate component of the same dish.
Peeling and dressing
Once cool enough to handle, the skin should slip off easily under running water, using gloves if you want to avoid staining your hands. Slice into rounds or wedges and dress while still slightly warm with a generous amount of olive oil and red wine vinegar, which the warm beetroot absorbs better than once fully cold.
The garlic finish
A spoonful of thick yogurt mixed with crushed raw garlic, or a proper skordalia, the potato and garlic dip, served alongside or dolloped directly on top, is what completes pantzarosalata and gives it its characteristic sharp, pungent contrast against the beetroot's sweetness.
Either topping is genuinely traditional, and the choice often comes down to what a household already has on hand, since both serve the same purpose here.
Tips from my kitchen
Cook beetroot whole and unpeeled
Cutting before cooking lets the colour and flavour bleed out. Peel only once fully cooked and cool enough to handle.
Dress it while still warm
Warm beetroot absorbs the oil and vinegar dressing far better than cold beetroot does.
Do not discard the greens
If your beetroot came with its leaves attached, they are genuinely good cooked and dressed lightly as a second element of the same dish.
Pantzarosalata Recipe (Greek Beetroot Salad with Garlic Yogurt)
Παντζαροσαλάτα · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 1h
- Total
- 1h 20m
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 200C fan 180C. Trim the greens from the beetroot if attached and set aside. Wrap the whole, unpeeled beetroot in foil and roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife slides in easily.
- If using the greens, wash thoroughly and boil or steam for 4 to 5 minutes, until just wilted. Drain, dress lightly with a little of the olive oil and lemon or vinegar, and set aside separately.
- Once the beetroot is cool enough to handle, peel under running water and slice into rounds or wedges.
- While still slightly warm, dress the beetroot with the remaining olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix the yogurt with the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt.
- Serve the beetroot with the dressed greens alongside, and a generous spoon of garlic yogurt on top or on the side.
Nutrition, per 1 side portion
- Calories
- 142
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Sat fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Pantzarosalata
Should you boil or roast beetroot for this salad?
Roasting whole in foil concentrates the sweetness slightly better, but boiling whole and unpeeled in salted water is the faster, equally traditional method. Both work well.
What goes with pantzarosalata besides yogurt?
Skordalia, the garlic and potato dip, is an equally traditional accompaniment and serves the same sharp, garlicky counterpoint role as the yogurt.
Can you make pantzarosalata ahead?
Yes, it keeps well for two to three days refrigerated and the flavour improves as the beetroot sits in its dressing. Add the yogurt or skordalia fresh at serving.
